Ethnicity/race: Emiri 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South
Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians)
8% (1982)

Religions: Muslim (Islam; official) 76%, Christian 9%, other (primarily Hindu and Buddhist, less than 5% of the population consists of Parsi, Baha'i, Druze, Sikh, Ahmadi, Ismaili, Dawoodi Bohra Muslim, and Jewish) 15%. Note: represents the total population; about 85% of the population consists of noncitizens (2005 est.)

International disputes: Boundary agreement was signed and ratified with Oman in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah enclaves, but contents of the agreement and detailed maps showing the alignment have not been published; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which Iran occupies.

Geography

The United Arab Emirates, in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula,
extends along part of the Gulf of Oman and the southern coast of the
Persian Gulf. The nation is the size of Maine. Its neighbors are Saudi
Arabia to the west and south, Qatar to the north, and Oman to the east.
Most of the land is barren and sandy.

Government

Federation formed in 1971 by seven emirates known as the Trucial
States—Abu Dhabi (the largest), Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras
al-Khaimah, and Umm al-Qaiwain. In addition to a federal president and
prime minister, each emirate has a separate ruler who oversees the local
government.

History

Originally the area was inhabited by a seafaring people who were
converted to Islam in the 7th century. Later, a dissident sect, the
Carmathians, established a powerful sheikdom, and its army conquered
Mecca. After the sheikdom disintegrated, its people became pirates.
Threatening the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman early in the 19th century,
the pirates provoked the intervention of the British, who in 1820 enforced
a partial truce and in 1853 a permanent truce. Thus what had been called
the Pirate Coast was renamed the Trucial Coast. The British provided the
nine Trucial states with protection but did not formally administer them
as a colony.

The British withdrew from the Persian Gulf in 1971, and the Trucial
states became a federation called the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Two of
the Trucial states, Bahrain and Oman, chose not to join the
federation, reducing the number of states to seven.

The country signed a military defense agreement with the U.S. in 1994
and one with France in 1995.

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., the UAE was
identified as a major financial center used by al-Qaeda in transferring
money to the hijackers (two of the 9/11 hijackers were UAE citizens). The
nation immediately cooperated with the U.S., freezing accounts tied to
suspected terrorists and strongly clamping down on money laundering.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the UAE and ruler of
the federation since 1971, died in Nov. 2004. His son succeeded him. In
Jan. 2006, Sheik Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the prime minister of the
UAE and the emir of Dubai, died. Crown Prince Sheikh Muhammad ibn Rashid
al-Maktoum assumed both roles.

The Burj Khalifa, in Dubai, was completed in January 2010 and became the world's tallest building at 2,716 feet (828 meters) and 160 stories. It contains the world's fastest elevators, 20.7 acres of glass, and is expected to use about 250,000 gallons of water per day.

United Arab Emirates - Information on United Arab Emirates — geography, history, politics, government, economy, population statistics, culture, religion, languages, largest cities, as well as a map and the national flag.